


Dual Avatars

by Lathier



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Angst, F/F, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Suicidal Thoughts
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-09
Updated: 2020-08-09
Packaged: 2021-03-06 00:35:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,365
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25804483
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lathier/pseuds/Lathier
Summary: Asami Sato's world changed when Korra told her: "I want to have your kids."After nearly ten years of working towards this goal, experimenting, and getting needed results, Korra is pregnant with Asami's child. It was rough through most of the pregnancy, but the day has arrived. They're ready to meet their daughter.But it's not meant to be, as complications arise.With the death of the Avatar, a new life is brought into the world. And at the exact same instant, in the slums of Ba Sing Se, another life is born. But, Asami begins to wonder, thinking back... is Vaatu back in the world?
Relationships: Original Female Character/Original Female Character
Kudos: 6





	Dual Avatars

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fanfic in a while, and the first on this site. I've been mulling this idea around since forever and a half ago, and finally got to sitting down and writing. I hope I can keep a steady schedule, but work and the world can sometimes delay things. More likely I'll update as inspiration comes.

After nearly ten years of hard work and dedication, they had done it. Or, rather, she had done it. The splicing of an egg to create a sperm wasn’t easy, but having gone through the process numerous times, it nearly became commonplace. Because of Asami Sato, female same-sex couples who wanted kids were finally able to have children of their own. All offspring made this way were female, of course. She hadn’t figured out how to change a chromosome from X to Y as of yet. But the process had been immensely successful, and now her dear wife, Korra, was weeks away from giving birth to their daughter. They had yet to settle on a name. Asami wanted to name her after Korra’s grandmother, while Korra preferred... 

Her musings are stopped as the OB/GYN enters the room, bringing with her a hefty machine, also a Sato design, that uses sound waves to check on babies in the womb. “Alright, Mrs. And Mrs. Sato, this is the last checkup before the big day!” the woman in a clean white medical coat grins proudly at them. “Now to just see how the little one is doing.” 

Korra takes Asami’s hand, squeezing lightly to get her attention. Asami turns to her and they exchange a smile, then Asami brings the hand to her lips, giving the calloused knuckles a light kiss. Suddenly, Korra lets out a shrill scream and nearly doubles over, holding her belly. Worried, Asami rubs Korra’s back, getting out of the way as the doctor rushes to the bedside. 

Korra lets out a low moan, panting, “That was painful... and uh...” looking down and mumbling, she looks embarrassed. “Doc, I may have had an accident...” 

The doctor frowns and checks over Korra, but suddenly smiles. “Oh, Mrs. Sato, you didn’t have an accident. Your water broke! It’s a little early, but no worries, babies are usually fully formed at this point. We knew it was only a matter of time for you! I still need to perform an ultrasound, but we can admit you immediately for delivery.” And the doctor drags the machine across the ground on its rollers, squirting jelly over the head of the ultrasound device. “As you know, this is going to be a bit cold...” and she spreads the jelly over Korra’s exposed stomach, using the handheld device to bring a blurry black and white photo onto the machine’s screen. 

Before she can continue, Korra screams again, and doubles over, knocking the doctor’s hand away. Frowning, the doctor looks down, checking on the instrument, but out of the corner of her eye... blood... a lot of blood... 

Jumping up, she smashes her hand on the panic button, and undoes the locks on the wheels of Korra’s bed. “Mrs. Sato, we need to get you to the OR NOW, you’re losing a lot of blood. It may be minor, but losing too much blood can put you and your child at risk.” Another doctor and two orderlies burst in the room and take the handles of the bed, beginning to roll Korra down the hall. 

Asami immediately starts to follow, but is stopped by the OB/GYN. “I’m sorry, Mrs. Sato. While normal for the other parent to be there during births, we may need to operate, and as such, we need you to trust us and let us handle things... I know she’s important to you, but she’s in good hands now.” 

Nodding, stunned, Asami stands there... and looks down, at the large pool of blood where her wife’s bed once lay. “Is... are they going to be alright?” she has to ask, dreading any bad news. “Please, keep me posted on her health. I know pregnancies can be complicated, but, I don’t know what I’d do without...” 

Not wanting to upset the woman, the doctor reaches out and rests her hand on Asami’s shoulder. “These things happen. Trust us to do what we do best, your wife is in the best medical hands in Republic City. We have benders on our team that can heal, and the steadiest hands anyone being operated on would hope to have. We will do our best...” She leaves off the possibility of things going south, having hope that she wills Asami to feel. “Why don’t you go to the waiting room? It may take a while, but if we have to operate, then your daughter will be here sooner than you think.” Giving what she hopes is a reassuring smile, she leads Asami out the door, careful not to step in the trail of blood droplets. 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

A bloodcurdling scream shakes the windows of the operating room, doctors doing their best to save the lives on the bed. One unfortunate physician catches a mean left hook that would have normally had flames coming out the end of the hand, but the Avatar is doing her best to not bend. If I go, I can’t be in the Avatar state... she thinks to herself, still dedicated after all this time. What she wants the most, though, is for her baby to live. 

Water benders attempt their best to try and heal wounds while blood just won’t stop flowing from the woman, and unsure doctors try to do three things at once to try and save the Avatar. 

The door to the OR opens, and in steps the OB/GYN, in full surgical garb, who immediately takes control of the situation, while going to Korra. “It’s okay, Avatar. We’re going to get you and your daughter through this...” She’s unsure if that is entirely true, but, damn it, she’s going to do her best. 

Korra coughs through a torn throat, and lightning quick, grabs the doctor’s arm. “My baby... if it’s one of us save my baby!” She passes out, and the heart monitor goes crazy. 

Caught in a moment of indecision, the doctor is flummoxed... the world needs the Avatar, and while, yes, the world has been in peaceful times, if recent history is anything to go by, then this is when large scale trouble comes knocking. But, if this is the one wish of the Avatar... “Of course, Korra...” 

With renewed resolve, the doctor gets to work... 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Hours pass. 

The bleeding doesn’t stop. 

The baby is born, but isn’t breathing... 

They do what they can, CPR, manually cleaning out the baby’s airways... 

Korra won’t stop bleeding... 

The heart monitor beeps slowly... 

A single droning whine can be heard in the silence of the room... 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

A wail echoes out of the operating room. 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Asami is hunched over, hugging her knees to herself, rocking back and forth. It’s felt like eternity has passed since they took her love, her life through those doors, and nobody has come back through them. 

She trusts her doctor, always has, and knows her family is in the best hands they could possibly be in. But it doesn’t stop the worrying. 

A low bang from the door has her whipping her head around, and there she is, the doctor... but she doesn’t look good. Her hair is out of place, she’s far too pale, and there’s a haunted look in her eyes. She only gets out “I’m sorry Mrs. Sato...” before Asami’s world shatters and she’s wailing to the spirits to bring back her love. 

She doesn’t feel the arms around her, her mind is focused in on one thing, and one thing only... to rejoin her love, to have her world again. The thoughts are rampant... This is the third floor, there’s a balcony where they go to break, if I go headfirst... there’s scalpels and needles, one artery is enough... surgical tubing isn’t very irritating, so I can just go to sleep... 

Strong hands grip the sides of her face and make her look up into the doctor’s eyes. I never noticed they were grey... And the woman is speaking, cupping her ears to focus the sound that she hears. “...is gone, but there is something you need to know. Your daughter is alive, but there was a scare. In the last minutes your wife was alive, your daughter wasn’t breathing. She’s breathing now, but the air loss was worrying, so we’ve been doing every test we know of to make sure the oxygen deprivation didn’t cause her any harm. And the good news is, she shows no signs of brain damage from lack of oxygen. But she needs you, and she needs your care, as some things may not show up til later in life.” 

Asami is nodding slowly, as the realization takes root. Our daughter... alive... needs me... 

“Can I see Korra?” 

With a nod, the doctor leads Asami through the doors. 

All is quiet. It seems the word has spread. Every face she passes is somber, and each person quickly looks away. But there’s no heed paid to those people, there’s only one face she needs to see. 

Entering the room where her love lays, her heart breaks anew. They had cleaned her up, no blood left anywhere, and she looked so peaceful. If Asami imagined very hard, she could make the chest rise and fall in her mind, convince her that Korra was still there. But she wasn’t. 

Getting close, Asami reaches out and places a palm on the cold cheek of Korra. That’s wrong, she’s always been a furnace... And tears come unbidden to her eyes, but she doesn’t make a sound other than the occasional sniffle. 

Bending down, she places a tender kiss to the forehead of her life, offering silent prayers that she finds peace, and promising to be there for their daughter, no matter what. 

“Goodbye, my love...” Asami reluctantly takes her hand away and turns to the doctor, standing silently by the door. “May I see our daughter?” 

With the slimmest of smiles, the doctor nods and turns, indicating for Asami to follow. 

Not far, they come to an observation window, and without being told, Asami knows her girl immediately. She’s got Korra’s complexion, if a shade lighter, Asami’s curls, and has the slight pudge in her cheeks that Asami remembers from her own baby photos. Going up to the glass, she places her hand on it, imagining that it was placed on the chest to feel the new life beating. When she does, her daughter opens her eyes, and Korra’s eyes look to her. Doing her best to keep composed, she wipes at her eyes to not blur the vision of what they had made. 

“She gave us a fright when she opened her lungs, must have made the poor nurse nearly go deaf in one ear it was so loud.” The doctor has that slim smile back. And she reaches out to Asami, holding her shoulder. “Korra made the decision, that if it came to one of them for us to save your daughter. She never said a name, though.” 

Asami hiccups out a laugh, her mind going back to the start of the day, and the inane thoughts before all this happened. Korra had been insistent on a name, but Asami always blew it off, saying their daughter should have a name of her own, or at least one not so recent. But now, it’s the only one in her mind. “Yasuko...” 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Hundreds of miles away, in the slums of Ba Sing Se, at the exact same time, a young girl struggles to keep herself upright after having delivered a baby girl. The utter hate towards the innocent the girl has in her arms nearly bowls her over. She never wanted this, especially not at her age. If any of her family found out what she’d be doing, they would disown her. But she can’t stand the sight of the thing wrapped in cloth, it looked too much like her nightmares. 

Stumbling to one of the canals close to her home, she holds the bundle at arm’s length over the railing, tears rolling down her cheeks. This is the only way for the nightmares to stop, she had concluded. There would be no way she could allow this... thing to stay in her life. She steels her resolve, begins to loosen her grip... 

And a strong, but gentle hand cups her own. She flinches hard, nearly dropping the bundle. Could really say it was an accident then... she thinks. The hands on her own cradle the bundle, and brings it back over the railing, turning her to the owner of the hands. An older man, one she has never seen before, looks at her in sorrow. 

“I’m sorry for the intrusion, but what you are about to do will haunt you the rest of your days,” the stranger says low. 

The girl snaps, “This thing will haunt me the rest of my days anyway!” 

He looks deep in her eyes, his own green ones slightly obscured by a glare from the lanterns going over his glasses. “I have no doubt that something has befallen you. You are far too young... but an innocent soul should not suffer such a cruel fate. If I may offer a suggestion?” 

The girl nods, and he continues. “My wife and I have wanted to have another child, but due to the circumstances of our first’s birth, we cannot. Leave the child with me, and you may continue your life and never see the child again, and you will not have the guilt you would have if you had succeeded...” 

The girl nearly shoves the bundle into the man’s arms. “You can have the thing. And I hope to never see you again.” With steel in her eyes, the girl turns and heads back the way she came, leaving the baby and man. 

Baatar Jr. looks down at the baby, which was looking up at him with amber colored eyes, not having made a sound the entire time. He smiles at the baby and pulls a face, but gets no reaction. “I think Kuvira is going to love you... but what for a name?” 

He ponders, wondering if he should ask his wife for any suggestions. But, then, the eyes of the babe catch his attention. “Amber, your name is Amber Beifong.”


End file.
